Cory Vom Baur Captures CageSports Interim Title, Ready for Whomever Comes Next

At the recent CageSport event, up-and-coming 135-pound fighter Cory Vom Baur took the next step in his career by securing the promotion’s interim bantamweight championship with a fifth round submission of fellow prospect Josh Rettinghouse.

“I was really happy with the way I performed,” said Vom Baur. “I went out there and did what I hoped to do. I pushed the pace and kept moving forward. I wanted to show I was the best guy in this area and I did that and I have the title to show it.

“Having said that, I’m not satisfied because I’m always looking to improve and get better in all aspects of my game, because there’s always some guy out there training who is looking to take this title from me.”

Rettinghouse was a last-minute replacement for reigning champion Brandon Hempleman, but the change didn’t adversely affect Vom Baur.

“My game plan doesn’t ever really change that much. I go forward, I throw punches and I get takedowns and throw elbows and stay active,” Vom Baur said. “So as far as the opponent change, nothing really changed a whole lot.”

Vom Baur told MMAWeekly.com that he feels the win places him firmly on top of the Northwest bantamweight rankings.

“It was a big deal because I didn’t want to just win, I wanted to show that I was a dominant guy,” said Vom Baur. “(Rettinghouse) came out and fought a good fight, but I wanted to show that I was number one.

“Not to take anything away from him, he fought a great fight and I’m very fortunate, but I’m very glad to win the title and hope to hold onto it for a long time.”

With the interim title around his waist, Vom Baur was asked if he’d like a shot at the person he was originally supposed to face, Brandon Hempleman, and unify the 135-pound championship.

“I don’t know if he’s on The Ultimate Fighter because there’s a lot of rumors going around, but if he’s not on the show, yeah, I would love to have that fight and have the chance to prove I’m the champion,” replied Vom Baur.

“If he comes back and there are two champions, I want there to be one champion, and I want to be that one.”

Titles aside, Vom Baur’s goals for the remainder of 2013 are simple: keep improving and keep winning.

“I’m always ready to fight,” he said. “Somebody can call me up and have a fight for me the next day and I’ll take it. I don’t turn down fights.

“I don’t have any great goals or anything. My goal is just to improve and beat whoever they put in front of me.”